Clutchlings
by LibraMoon
Summary: He didn't want to return to the Normandy. But then again, he should have known Shepard would have something to do with it. Post ME3. Mentions obvious Shep/Garrus. One shot.
1. Chapter 1

**This is just a scene that would not go away in my head until I typed it all out. Please enjoy. I own nothing. Rated T, for swearing and some adult humor.**

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He was only setting foot on this accursed ship again because EDI had called him. Even then, he had been tempted not to go anywhere near the damned thing, but she'd threatened to do several unmentionable things to his private areas, after all too cheerfully informing him that she had 1.2 million windows open to inform her how. He had believed her then, and because he was a smart turian-as well as devilishly handsome-, he had sulked… er… strutted onto the ship like he owned it.

Yes, that sounded far more intimidating.

His tried not to dwell on the memories of his time onboard longer than his treacherous mind made him. All of those memories, good and bad, lead to thinking about Shepard. He closed his eyes briefly against the swell of emotion just her name brought out in him.

He wanted to get this over and done with. He had rebuilding to oversee, people to lead, and reports to file until he worked himself into exhaustion so that he could sleep.

"Garrus, I am glad to have you aboard again," the sincere voice of EDI interrupted his thoughts via his omni-tool.

Well, he wasn't glad to be here but that was not really EDI's fault. No, wait… actually it was. Hm.

"Pleasures all mine EDI," inside he was thinking quite the opposite with a few insults to her motherboard thrown in.

"Please meet me in the Med bay," she instructed with a voice that betrayed nothing of why he was here.

Spirits… why was he even here? He walked confidently toward the elevator, nodding in response to those faces he recognized that offered him greetings. Perhaps this ship wasn't _all_ that terrible, but it still caused his heart to ache knowing not all that long ago Shepard had walked this floor, had stood in this elevator, and-

The doors opened, chiming brightly, to announce his arrival on the third deck. Garrus felt his mandibles twitch as the familiar area brought back a wave of nostalgia. He knew that just down the hall was where he used to do his calibrations. He had always made sure Shepard had the meanest, toughest, and most precise big guns in the galaxy. When he thought back to his shy flirtations when they'd first met, he was filled with embarrassment. Had he ever been that _frazzled_?

Granted, it was hard not to be with the first human Spectre staring at you and wanting to know all about you. He could still feel himself practically blush at the inquisitive way she had looked at him. There had been rare moments, too few and far between, when she had such innocent curiosity that it had stolen his breath away.

His steps echoed down the metal hallway, and he branched off to the right to see the Med bay doors. He clamped his mandibles down in slight agitation. He wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible, and later after he had left, the crew would murmur about how he looked like a turian about to go to war again.

He'd deny it later.

As he waited impatiently for the door to open, because now he was annoyed that EDI had made him come all the way down here. Spirits, what the hell could be so damn important?

Her bright green eyes greeted him, and Garrus gave a curt nod in her directions.

"Greetings Garrus. I trust you are well?"

If by well she meant with a hole the size of Palavan through his heat, then yes he was just peachy-keen. As Shepard used to say when anyone asked her a ridiculous question about how she was.

Spirits he loved that woman.

"Fine EDI," he warbles in that deep tone that serves as a warning that this is not a social call.

"Excellent," she states neutrally and blinks at him as she turns.

"Any particular reason you needed to see me so urgently?" He can't help the sarcasim that drips from his words. He is already hot and uncomfortable. The urge to move, to do something, to be of some _use_ is causing his plates to feel tight and he hates that feeling.

EDI hums a no committal response, something that Garrus is sure she must have picked up from Joker, and walks to a station. Her silver fingers quickly type in, from the looks of it, an unbelievably long and complex code.

Garrus feels his jaw drop open just the tiniest bit.

He watches as EDI extracts a chilled container, the florescent lights glint off of the metal container as she comes toward him. She hands him the container, and Garrus stares dumbfounded at a small screen that flickers to life.

He sees seven iridescent tiny orbs in suspended animation.

"Uh… they're…nice EDI," he blurts out in confusion because he has no idea what the _hell_ they are supposed to be.

She seems to take pity on him. Her hand moves to rest on his arm in a comforting gesture.

"They are eggs Garrus."

He blinks in shock and his mandibles flare. His avian eyes flicker from her face to the screen once more.

"Oh," he replies for lack of something to say, "they are very…pretty?" He winces at his statement for it sounds more like a question. He wasn't sure what the protocol was for a formerly purely synthetic being to go shoving suspended eggs in his hands.

He comes up short at the thought. Was there actually a protocol for this? The thought amuses him to the point he almost snickers in laughter.

EDI is staring at him expectantly, and Garrus flounders.

"They are _Shepard's _eggs," she elaborates.

And Garrus falls into a semi-catatonic state of shock.

Eggs? Shepard laid eggs? She'd never mentioned that. There was never anything on the vids about this! He searched his mind, scrambling for some bit of knowledge he could remember. He nearly kicked himself when he recalls that he had only ever looked up human _mating,_ and not human _reproduction._

Then he is horrified. Had she laid other eggs? Spirits, had he _stepped_ on any of them on his numerous trips to her cabin? Had he been supposed to try and fertilize them? His panic reached new heights as he envisioned clutches of Shepard eggs being squashed if he had rolled the wrong way in her bed. Or what if he had been squashing the things when he used her private shower?

Then a terrible thought struck him. What If, by some miracle, he had _fertilized_ them? Had he been destroying, with his ignorance, hundreds of little Vakarsheps? Or would they have been Shepkarians?

His mandibles hung open in pure terror.

What had Shepard felt when he was clumsily squashing their prospective babies? She must have thought him a monster. Or maybe she had thought he hadn't wanted to have offspring with her, hence the mention of adoption?

Oh Spirits!

"When you and Commander Shepard engaged in a romantic and sexual relationship-"

Garrus winces at the bluntness of her words, his delicate turian sensibilities were slightly flustered right now. He then felt a twinge of panic at the thought that his wince could have caused some sort of disruption to the eggs. His turian instinct roared to life to protect the clutchlings. His head bobbed back and forth as he thoroughly examined the container, it remained unharmed and the eggs remained unmoved on the screen.

He felt his fringe rise, just slightly, in a moment of pure turian pride. He was going to be a father.

"She researched ways of conserving her genetic material for the future purpose of attempting to combine it with yours."

They had spoken on the subject of children only once. It had been right before the Collector suicide mission. He'd thought she'd been humoring him.

Okay… so they weren't clutchlings yet, he absently heard what EDI said. However, that did not stop the turian protective instinct that now was roaring inside of him.

They were his eggs. _HIS_. And, he would kill anyone that said or thought differently.

Garrus preened slightly, before tucking the container carefully inside the crook of his arm.

"While incarcerated, Shepard was permitted to undergo fertility treatments and egg extraction with the influence of Admiral Anderson. These eggs were then delivered to my care via one Kasumi Goto."

He blinked at the word extraction. Humans… kept their eggs… on the inside? Like the Asari? He felt a veritable tidal wave of relief pour over him. He hadn't stepped on future Vakarsheps. Or was it Shepkarians?

He shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts and focus on what EDI was telling him.

"Until Shepard gave us synthesis, the combining of your DNA to hers would have been impossible. Now however, with the knowledge of all the cycles before us and the new DNA structure; it is very possible."

"EDI," he half-whispers because the hope that has bloomed to life inside of him would forever be destroyed if she tells him anything other than what he needs to hear, "what are you saying?"

The former synthetic blinks. "I am saying, Mr. Vakarian, that should you choose to provide a sample of your genetic material for the production of offspring; I will be pleased to assist you in having the afore mentioned offspring with Commander Shepard."

He stammers, his mind not having caught up with the incredible gift Shepard had left for him. "B-But…how?"

"You will of course, need a surrogate. It is preferable that you choose one with a womb and of human or turian origin."

Right, he needed a surrogate. Garrus turned around and started to stride out of the med bay.

"Not at this exact instant, Mr. Vakarian. The eggs will need to stay in the Med bay for fertilization and transfer."

"Right. Of course. Fertilization first," he mutters to himself.

"If you will come with me, I will show you an area that will afford more privacy. First, however, I must return the eggs to their proper hiding place."

He reflexively takes a step back from EDI, holding onto the container as it his life depends on it. "Hiding place?"

EDI nods. "Yes. Commander Shepard was very clear in her instructions to keep the eggs hidden and only allow access to myself or to you, Garrus Vakarian. Shepard was concerned that should it be discovered that her eggs where available, that the Illusive man might make a bid for them. I was instructed to destroy them should someone else try to take them."

He feels the fury spread over him like a warm coat. If anyone, _anyone_, ever even thought about trying to take away his and Shepard's eggs… he would make the Reapers look like a bunch of damned pyjaks.

Therefore it is poor timing on Alenko's part, having heard that Garrus was onboard and seeking only to engage in some camaraderie, when he enters the medical bay.

Garrus snarls at him, ready to tear the interloper's throat out.

"Whoa! Easy there Garrus, it's just me."

The turian narrows his avian eyes at the biotic.

"Hey, how have you been? It seems like… hey what've you got there?" The second human Spectre, who will never be anywhere _near_ as good as Shepard in Garrus' opinion, asks curiously.

Garrus turns dismissively toward EDI. "Secure this please," he growls, though he is loath to part with the precious, precious, future offspring. He blocks Kadian's attempts to look at the canister. Sending the biotic one final warning glare, that has Alenko throwing his hands up in mock surrender.

"Fine, geez. Forget I asked."

Garrus plans to do just that. And, after EDI secures his babies he grabs a chair from Dr. Chakwas desk and sits in front of the station that holds them. He stares Kadian down until the human male leaves in abject discomfort of the situation.

EDI raises an eyebrow at his behavior.

"It is not necessary to stand guard Garrus. I will watch over them."

He grunts, but refuses to comment. He'll sit here until every last damn egg is fertilized with his 'DNA'. He's never trusted that shifty Alenko bastard.

And, besides, it is never too soon to start tucking in his offspring.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks for your reviews. I saw some people wanted a Shepkarian ending, so here it is **___

_**Rated M, I own nothing. If you have time, please review.**_

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Liara T'Soni has always considered herself a good information Broker. In fact, a few people are well aware of just how good she truly is. They even have a name for her, one she assimilated from her predecessor long ago.

The Shadow Broker.

So, therefore it was of some surprise to her that she was so woefully unprepared for the individual that has just taken down the majority of her personal guard and in so little time. For the first time in years, Liara feels a touch of panic as well as an underlying sense of respect. No one has been able to impress her since…

Well, since the individual that saved them all from extinction. Countless lives saved by the sacrifice of one, and it still humbles her each day to know that she has this opportunity and power by the grace of one person.

Shepard.

Her blue eyelids flutter closed for a moment from their normal staring at her console screens to allow herself the chance to recollect an old and dear friend. So many images flash before her of moments in battle, in friendship, and for Liara; a love unrequited.

She had been painfully young and naïve then, not that she wasn't still young by her species standards, foolishly hoping against hope that a certain Human was going to save them all but fall into a relationship with her.

Granted, she smiles for a moment at the thought, Shepard did just that except for the relationship aspect. It simply had not been meant to be, she thinks momentarily, for her heart belonged to Vakarian.

The same Vakarian likely, that has been obliterating her forces. Though she finds it rather odd, for she has last heard that he still favored sniper rifles but his use of an assault rifle here could be in homage to Shepard. Liara opens her eyes to stare at the screen. Her doubts are quickly replaced with certainty when the helmeted figure pauses to waved cheerily at one of her cameras.

Why Garrus is storming into her base instead of just calling, she isn't entirely sure. It seems extreme, but he has been rather reclusive toward anyone since Shepard's passing. So much so, in fact, that several of her teams had come back from keeping tabs on him nearly empty handed. Liara straightens her back as she sits in her chair, behind the desk that holds nearly all the galaxy's pertinent information and waits.

Five, she thinks with wry amusement while loading her gun and tucking it in her lap.

Four, she counts hearing the sounds of explosions directly outside her door.

Three, she tilts her head to hear the echoes of someone shouting for help better.

Two, she exhales a breath she did not realize she was holding until the tell-tale silence that fills the room.

One, Liara sets her face into a neutral mask.

The door opens, green lock spinning madly and is greeted by a Turian in full armor with the familiar blue flashing under florescent lights.

She has to admit that Garrus certainly has kept in shape.

Garrus takes a moment to glance around the room, she presumes him to be looking for further threats. She needs none for she is the most deadly thing on this ship and he should know that by now.

"So you're Dr. T'Soni?"

Liara blinks in reaction to a voice that was clearly not Garrus', and a question that is a dead give-away this turian does not know her.

Carefully she inches her hand around the gun, suddenly on edge with this intruder.

"I am," she responds stoically, inkling her head politely. "And who might you be?"

The turian shifts uncomfortably as two squad members; a human and a Drell flank him. His voice warbles for a moment which she can hear his embarrassment. "Right, sorry about that. My name's Vakarian."

She arches a brow at the response, she had it partially right. He was Garrus' offspring and she had heard reports he had children several years ago. Liara had been filled with fury at the time that he had moved on from Shepard at all. Let alone only giving it five years. Still, it had not been her place then as it was not now and also… Shepard had loved him. Liara understood then as she still does, that Shepard would want him protected no matter the cost.

Liara had obliged on that respect a few times.

"I see. I had thought you were Garrus," she admits without reservation. She cannot recall any threat she might have posed in the past for the Vakarian family, so it would stand to reason he is not here to harm her. Still, she keeps the gun in her hand at the ready.

"Ah," the young Vakarian hums non-committedly, "Dad mentioned you would remember him. Said it would keep you from 'flaying me with your mind'," he rumbles out dryly.

Liara smirks in response. "He was correct."

"Ohhhkaaaay," the human interrupts worriedly, "this is going well."

The Turian looks at his squad member pointedly. Suddenly his attention is back on Liara, who relaxes into her seat with predatory eyes gleaming.

"And, may I ask, why are you looking for me?"

The Turian nods before replying, "I am in need of your assistance. As you know, Commander Shepard allowed the cure for the genophage. With the passing of Urdnot Wrex and the succession of Urdnot Wreav, we have received word of another Krogan rebellion possibly occurring. I have been tasked to stop it."

Interesting, she ponders quickly, I had heard of such a thing but I had not given it much thought. Still, this was Garrus' son and he needed help. What to do? It was truly no concern of hers what the Krogan did with the ten worlds that Wreav had quickly pressed the council for. Ten worlds filled with the births, blood, and sweat of the Krogan who still held quite a grudge it would seem.

"My father tells me that you were with him and Commander Shepard," the turian alludes something softly Liara does not quite place.

"What Commander Shepard did was for the good of the galaxy," Liara whispers harshly at the perceived insult to her late friend, "and I was there when she made the call. I was there the day she defeated the reapers when she shoved your father at me while he was heavily wounded. I was _there_," her voice rises with each word until she is nearly shouting, "when she told him she loved him and he said the same."

She catches her breath, for she is now panting with exertion. Her eyes have gone wide and she stares at the turian with his companions still seeing the remnants of her time with Shepard. Her time blazing across the galaxy with only hope and a gun to guide them; Liara feels her heart constrict painfully in her chest.

The Turian for his part says nothing; he slowly unclasps his helmet and takes it off.

Liara can only gasp in surprise.

He looks every inch the turian, except that his plates are so very wrong. They are not the same hardness, she can tell from her distance, as his fathers. No, they are much softer like leather instead of bone. Their color is that of another person she has thought about a great deal in the passing years. Instead of gray they are flesh colored. The edges of his plates are more muted than pronounced, and his bottom teeth as he opens his mandibles are blunted. She sees that his fringe is also somewhat shorter than an average male turians.

Her eyes search his face, noting the familial bright blue markings underneath eyes that are wholly Turian. All except their color, which is so very human that Liara can only tremble as the pieces start to fall into place.

"You…," he starts trailing off for a moment in contemplation, His features flit between confusion and such bittersweet yearning that Liara has to blink at the sight. It is as if he desperately wants to know something, but does not have the words. "You really knew my mother?"

"H-how?" She chokes out stunned.

"Well," he quips back amused, "to hear EDI tell it, it wasn't easy."

"Are all of Garrus' offspring like you?"

"Half-turian and half-human? Yeah."

"There were five of you born, correct?"

He bobs his head in a familiar fashion, "That's right. I have four brothers and one sister," his plates shift uneasily, "all born with a few weeks of each other."

Liara lets the gun in her hand drop, sliding off her lap and clattering to the floor. The shock on her face she quickly removes and turns into one of downright _rage_. Her blue finger quickly presses a few buttons on her console as she holds one finger up on the opposite hand toward Vakarian.

"Who wants to tell me," she begins deceptively calm, "why the species of Garrus Vakarian's offspring…SLIPPED THE FUCKING NET!?"

She flashes a look up toward the stunned faces of those in his group before glowering at her screen. She glowered because it was certainly not pouting…

She feels a little humbled today.

Liara is a good information broker, but sometimes she thinks she works with idiots.

She blinks up at them owlishly, "Krogans, you say?"

"Uh… yes?"


End file.
